maps
by paper streets
Summary: Five times Finn should've taken his own advice, and one time he's glad he didn't. FinnHolley, human. 3/6: "Well, just for the record," Holley says, reaching her hand out until it rests on his. "I have no intentions of killing you anytime soon."
1. Chapter 1

**jottings:** so i've actually had this on my laptop for almost a year. i sort of forgot about it. hm. but yes, it's safe to say that Finn and Holley are my biggest guilty pleasure ship. like, ever. like i said, this is going to be a six-shot; i have the first two (almost three) written, so they should be posted sporadically. also, i'm terrible at coming up with actual _plot_; enjoy the abundance of head-canons and awkward otp moments.

**disclaimer**: Cars 2-Pixar. title-maps by yeah yeah yeahs.

**maps**

_wait; they don't love you like i love you._

;;

five times Finn should've taken his own advice

(and one time he's glad he didn't).

;;

[_one_.]

The plane is filled with artillery and its times like these that anyone can see why CHROME agents don't fly commercially.

Finn's busy with his pre-mission weapon checks. Its border-line compulsive, the way he's cocking the pistols and examining the magazines for faulty rounds.

"Any advice?" Holley's voice cuts through the white noise hum of jet engines.

He's focused on ensuring that the sights on gun number four are properly aligning with the 3 on the wall clock. "Hm?"

He stows the gun in a holster on his belt and faces his partner.

"You know," she says casually. Only, she's got her shirt pulled up to _there_, all pale skin and bright purple lace, threading a communication wire from her back pocket to her ear. "You always seem to have some words of advice before missions."

He attempts to respond, but unfortunately, his eyes are fixated on the exposed skin and she doesn't seem to realize the position she's putting him in.

But then again, knowing her, she probably realizes all too well.

Finn drags his eyes up to hers and forces a suave grin. "Don't get shot."

"Excellent plan," laughs Holley, blessedly tugging her shirt down. She adjusts the fabric so that it covers the guns strapped to her hips.

"I do try, Miss Shiftwell." Finn turns his attention back to the weaponry and fights to block out the images bursting in his mind. He swears up and down that they're purely involuntary, the flashback freeze frames of Holley in certain compromising positions.

Then again, they've got time to waste; it wouldn't be impossible to—

"Alright, my friends," the intercom crackles as Siddely speaks from the cockpit. "Our landing is approaching in several moments."

_Thank god._ The mission is already dangerous enough, the last thing he needs is another distraction.

It's a hostile situation. Essentially, they're dropping into the epicenter of a drug-filled wasteland, and that never exactly bodes well for anyone. Especially when both parties have guns.

Holley plops onto the chair beside him. He acknowledges her with momentary silence, and then says "I _am _serious, Shiftwell. Do not get shot out there."

Her magenta smile is tainted with nerves. "It's not exactly something I'm planning on doing, Finn." Her voice is flippant, but Finn can see her poker tells all over the place. The furious way she's jiggling her foot makes her uneasiness obvious to him.

"_Holley_." He catches her gaze and for a split second, her body stills. He rarely uses her first name, generally on occasions when he's feeling particularly sentimental (and sometimes when they're alone at night and she's—). "It'll be alright."

Holley breathes deeply and nods. "Of course it will be."

.x.

And of course, things go awry.

"Fuck," Holley whispers through her communicator. "There're too many people here." She snakes a hand through her chestnut hair tensely.

Across the square, Finn eyes the target suspects as they saunter through the street. "I know." He cautiously moves closer to Holley. "But it's too late to call it off—I've already tried."

Finn is thirty feet away when one of the perps must recognize him. The gunshots that follow are inevitable. People scream and run desperately. Holley fights her way through them. She pulls a gun free, holding it steadily.

She spies Finn holding his ground, amazingly calm whilst being shot at. "Behind you," she calls, cocking a pistol and raising it. She aims and doesn't catch the look of surprise on Finn's face as the bullet whizzes past his shoulder, straight into a gang member's skull.

"Excellent work, Miss Shiftwell," he extols, grinning.

Holley doesn't have a chance to respond before another shot leaves her ears ringing. There's a burst of red and Finn crumples to the ground. The man holding the gun turns to her and cocks the barrel; he's dead without a second thought.

Holley rushes past the bodies and debris that litter the pavement. "Finn?" He isn't moving. Heart racing, she drops to her knees and searches for a pulse. "Finn, this isn't fucking funny, say something."

"What happened?" he mumbles, looking up at her with half-lidded eyes. His shirt is stained red around the entrance wound on his abdomen.

"You got shot," she says. Tears brim in her eyes and she brushes them away impatiently.

"I'm well aware of that, thank you." He grimaces, clenching his teeth as Holley peels his shirt off of his stomach. "I meant you. Are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine. You're the one bleeding," she snaps. Her voice snags on the sob trying to fight its way out of her throat.

Finn touches her hand, which is pressed firmly to the bullet hole in an attempt to staunch the blood flow. "Wasn't part of the plan, was it?"

Holley's reluctant laugh borders on hysteric, because she shouldn't be laughing at a time like this, but Finn smiles faintly in response.

CHROME reinforcements come rushing in. They circle like vultures, checking the gang members for death, and arresting the ones that move. Two medics approach the partners with a stretcher and heave Finn's bleeding body onto it. Holley stands on the sidelines and watches. At least he's alive.

As they're loading him into an ambulance, Holley steps up and says adamantly: "If you're even _thinking_ of dying, I _will_ kill you."


	2. Chapter 2

**jottings:** posting this way faster than expected, aww yes.

* * *

**maps**

_wait; they don't love you like i love you._

;;

five times Finn should've taken his own advice

(and one time he's glad he didn't).

;;

[_two._]

"Close your eyes," Finn instructs.

Holley gives a skeptical side-eye, but complies nonetheless. "Alright."

"Listen to my voice," he says, beginning to circle her slowly. "Listen to my footsteps. Try to follow exactly where I am."

She nods, ears straining for a sense of direction.

Right now, Finn and Holley, they're alone in the training room at Headquarters. It's one of those special hand-to-hand combat sessions that Holley, as a technical agent, had never been required to undergo. Until, that is, she was quite literally _thrown_ into the field.

"Remember, Miss Shiftwell, I could attack you at any moment."

He's in front of her. She's positive of it. So positive, in fact, that she lunges forward, eyes still screwed shut. But instead of Finn's body, she's met with nothing but empty space. She stumbles blindly. An arm snags her by the waist and pulls her backwards, temporarily knocking the wind from her lungs.

Her back slams into Finn's chest, his arms trapping her there. "And always watch your back." His voice is barely above a whisper, and his lips brush against her ear as he speaks. She shivers involuntarily.

Holley arches her back against him, praying he'll get the message that she's more than willing to forgo this training session for one of a different, much more _profitable_ kind. Finn hesitates, almost as though he's taking her idea into consideration. But then his arms are gone and she's blindly groping once more.

Instead, he says "You can open your eyes."

When she does, she has to blink several times before her vision adjusts properly. "What now?"

Still looming behind her, he tells her simply, "Counter-attack."

Before she can question it, he seizes her from behind yet again. This time she's expecting it. Her arms are pinned to her sides, but she wriggles in his grasp until it loosens. She jerks an elbow backwards, connecting harshly with his solar plexus. His grip falters and Holley takes the opportunity to slither out of it.

"You have the upper hand," he informs, rubbing the forming bruise beneath his diaphragm. "What will you do?"

Lips parted, brow furrowed in concentration, she tries to discern the best course of action.

"Remember that your opponent will most likely be bigger than you," Finn coaches, dodging the first kick aimed in his direction. He catches her foot with one hand, twisting her leg. Holley emits a squeak of surprise and lands on her back. "Try to use that to your advantage."

A look of annoyance gracing her features, she blows a wisp of hair from her eyes and pushes herself up. Finn opens his mouth to speak, but he's cut off by a blow to the shins. It's followed closely by a kick in the stomach that knocks him off balance and lands him on the floor mats.

"You have the right to remain silent," Holley quips, nailing him in the head with her very best two-fingered revolver. She stands over his downed body, one foot on either side of his waist.

He blinks up at her, impressed. "I must say, Miss Shiftwell, I wasn't expecting that last bit from you."

"Why, thank you, sir." Smiling, she offers him a hand.

Finn takes it gratefully, and then aims a swift kick at the backs of her knees. The impact makes her knees buckle. He yanks down on their joined hands and she crashes onto him. He fluidly flips their bodies, leaving him with the ascendancy.

He shifts his weight forward to lessen the pressure on her. Holley stares incredulously. "Most importantly," he says, smiling suavely. "Don't get cocky."

Holley catches him completely off guard when her leg comes around in a perfect roundhouse and collides with his shoulder. It displaces his weight enough for her to swap positions once more and scramble to the top.

She pins his arms over his head, and to add insult to injury, she pulls a set of handcuffs from her back pocket. She smirks the entire time she's leaning down to fasten the cuffs around his wrists.

Reluctantly, Finn must admit he's impressed. But his ego is wounded more than anything, for it's simply not acceptable to have one's ass handed to one by their protégé-cum-partner. This isn't exactly a tale he'll be spreading around in the near-future.

Holley sits back, straddling his waist, and admires the image before her. Finn can't help but notice the sheen of sweat on her forehead and the slip-knot way locks of hair are falling from her ponytail and the strap of her wife-beater is sliding off her shoulder, and not to mention she's _straddling his waist._

"You can undo the handcuffs now, Holley." The glint in Holley's eyes is just devious. He swallows, his throat suddenly dry.

The smirk currently glued to her lips grows deeper. She cocks her head and arches an eyebrow. "I think these could be fun, don't you, Finn?"


	3. Chapter 3

**jottings: **this might be my favorite. also, oh god, i make reference to why Holley isn't with Mater...hopefully it's alright. and Giulia doesn't technically belong to me; i got the idea of her from a statement by John in the dvd commetnary.  
**and a big thank you **to my reviewers! you guys make my day.

* * *

**maps**

_wait; they don't love you like i love you._

;;

five times Finn should've taken his own advice

(and one time he's glad he didn't).

[_three._]

Holley orders them two cups of tea, then props her elbows on the table and says "I'm thinking of getting a cat."

"Really, now?" Finn's eyes sweep over the small diner out of habit. Deciding there're no immediate threats aside from clogged arteries and heart attacks, he settles his aqua gaze on Holley. "And what makes you think that?"

She shrugs loosely, tucking a chestnut wave behind her ear. "They're good company; not much work. It sounds perfect if you ask me."

Finn can't deny that he sees the appeal. The life of a spy can be lonely enough; coming home to a cat waiting would be nice. Plus, he likes the way they wiggle their ears—not that he'll be admitting to fawning over cat ears anytime soon. "I think that would be a good idea. Your potential cat, I mean." He smoothes his already immaculate black hair. "Hell, I may even get one myself."

"Or a fish," she suggests airily. "You seem like a fish person."

A waitress comes to their booth and sets a pair of white porcelain mugs on the table. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, thank you," says Finn, complete with one of his famous heart-melting grins.

The waitress giggles and suddenly feels the need to bend over as much as possible. "Just let me know if you need anything." Her hips sashay all the way back to the kitchen.

Finn pretends not to notice Holley's subtle bristling. Instead, he passes her three packets of sugar and busies himself with his own drink. "You know, you might pull something if you keep rolling your eyes that way."

The blush that springs to Holley's cheeks is immediate. She huffs incredulously, willing herself calm. "I'm curious," Holley begins, stirring her tea idly with a salad fork. "What were your past relationships like?"

After nearly choking on his tea, Finn shakes his head. "It's not exactly a topic I'd care to divulge at the moment, Shiftwell," he pauses, narrowing his eyes inquisitively. "I am, however, increasingly curious about yours. If you don't mind my asking, why would a girl like yourself be single?"

Holley entertains the prospect of denying him an answer, but she's been down this road before. She'll have to give a little if she wants to receive. It'll take prying. Deal-making. "Let's make this interesting, Finn," she says, holding up her open palms. "If I answer your questions, you have to answer mine. Deal?"

His eyebrows rise of their own accord, scrunching together. "Is this quid pro quo, Miss Shiftwell?"

"Yes or no?"

Finn purses his lips, beginning to question why exactly his partner has taken to making obscure references to _The Silence of the Lambs_. "Deal."

All too pleased, Holley extends her hand. He shakes it warily, vowing to cancel her Netflix subscription next time he has the chance.

"Well, then," says Holley. She laces her fingers together and perches her chin atop them, blinking expectantly. "Have you ever been married?"

"Married?" Finn echoes, not bothering to hide the edge of distaste in his voice. He laughs dryly and says, "To my job. But no, I've never been—no."

Holley nods appreciatively, taking a sip of tea. "Your question."

"What ever happened between you and _Sir _Mater?" Finn's eyes search her face while she ponders an answer. It's not a matter either of them touches upon very often, and suddenly, Finn is filled with apprehension.

"We're not together; if that's why you're all pale all of the sudden." The corners of her mouth quirk as Finn exhales obviously. She rubs the pad of her thumb over the magenta lip-print along the rim of her mug. "I'm not sure that we were ever really _together_. I mean—well, you were _there _for nearly everything. It just wasn't right for either of us. I'm always away; Mater's a good man—we're still friends. He deserves someone—," she pauses, searching for the right word. "Someone who can provide stability. That's not me."

Finn leans forward. "So Mater and you never…" his voice trails off and he makes a vaguely obscene gesture, because _Mater _and any sexual euphemism just don't belong in the same sentence.

Holley meets his eyes for the first time since he asked the question and raises her eyebrows. "No. We didn't." She rolls her eyes and laughs through her nose. "I'm pretty shit at relationships, to be honest."

Finn smiles crookedly. "Believe me, love, you're preaching to the choir."

"That brings me to my next question," Holley says, her disposition brightening. "What was your last relationship like?"

Sighing deeply, Finn looks as though he may not answer. But he forces a smile and begins. "Her name was Giulia. She was an Italian agent I met through a mission when I was much younger; less experienced, I might add. Beautiful girl, brilliant—she was not unlike yourself in that respect, Miss Shiftwell. And, _damn_, she had a killer shot." He grimaces; his smile grows wistful.

"I was stupid," he says, his voice firm. "I got too close—too invested in her. If they teach you anything at the Academy, it's to trust no one. I should've remembered that then."

"What happened?" asks Holley, twisting the end of a chestnut lock.

"As it turned out, Giulia was a double-agent sent to infiltrate Headquarters and when her cover was compromised, she subsequently tried to kill me," Finn says with an air of flippancy. He casually tugs the collar of his shirt to one side, revealing the tell-tale beginning of a white scar on his left shoulder. The scar that Holley's traced her tongue across, clamped her mouth around so many times, yet never thought to question.

"Wow," Holley muses simply. "You definitely have me beat for worst-past-relationship."

Finn shrugs elegantly. "As they say, it's just water under the bridge now."

They fall silent for several heartbeats.

"I believe it's my question again," says Finn, breaking the silence.

"Right," responds Holley.

"I feel we've established the fact that neither of us particularly excel at the art of love," Finn starts. Holley laughs and he relishes in the sound of it. "What's the longest relationship you've ever had?"

Holley exhales, her mind calculating. "Oh god. I haven't really been in one since college. And those never lasted." She runs her fingers through her hair, and crosses her arms on the table. "I suppose _this_ is," she says, gesturing faintly between them. "If you would even call it that."

Lips curving lopsidedly, he nods. "I think I have to agree."

"Well, just for the record," Holley says, reaching her hand out until it rests on his. "I have no intentions of killing you anytime soon."

Finn allows her to lace their fingers together and is fairly certain that he can trust her on that.

.x.

(A week later, Holley adopts a grey fluff-ball of a cat and names it Finn the Second.)


End file.
